Sea-based assets may be launched in various ways, such as torpedo tubes and missile tubes. Some assets, however, such as unmanned aircraft, are not well-suited to launch via conventional systems. In particular, the use of unmanned aircraft to perform reconnaissance and engagement missions, however, is increasing as the technology matures. Rapid deployment of unmanned aircraft in a variety of situations allows for faster, and often less observable, intelligence gathering. Unmanned aerial vehicles may also be used by ground forces to gather surveillance information on a target prior to engagement with human or other high value assets. Unmanned aircraft and other assets are not limited to ground operations, however, and sea-based launch systems are ill-equipped to deploy them.